Yes. Please note I borrowed the phrase "only suckers pay retail" from someone much older and wiser than I. It reveals a powerful and profound truth about the relationship between a seller and a buyer in a retail situation.
You can get that stick of bread cheaper (bulk discount, in-store offers, credit card cashback) or more convenient (free delivery, freshly baked). And those are just the publicly available ways, no extra hassle and for everybody. If you are willing to drive a really hard bargain, you can usually negotiate a price slightly below cost (that's why retail can be cheaper than wholesale). Sociopaths can get to negative price, but not everybody has a stomach for that.
Maybe it is not a burden for you to pay $3 every day to have fresh bread, and maybe you don't eat that much of it anyway. But the same applies to a computer, a house, equity share, even loan rate. If it is a standard agreement, if it is the public offer, if it is the sticker price, you can go way down and still make an equitable deal. And if you don't care about the relationship, you can go even lower and still get good deal just for yourself. If you are on the selling end, it is even more important you understand this, even if just to avoid toxic customers.
Conversely, you should pay more than the sticker price when it makes sense. I do much better service for my customers who are more valuable to me, because I don't want to lose them. If you want better service, demand to be treated specially and insist to pay more.
You can get that stick of bread cheaper (bulk discount, in-store offers, credit card cashback) or more convenient (free delivery, freshly baked). And those are just the publicly available ways, no extra hassle and for everybody. If you are willing to drive a really hard bargain, you can usually negotiate a price slightly below cost (that's why retail can be cheaper than wholesale). Sociopaths can get to negative price, but not everybody has a stomach for that.
Maybe it is not a burden for you to pay $3 every day to have fresh bread, and maybe you don't eat that much of it anyway. But the same applies to a computer, a house, equity share, even loan rate. If it is a standard agreement, if it is the public offer, if it is the sticker price, you can go way down and still make an equitable deal. And if you don't care about the relationship, you can go even lower and still get good deal just for yourself. If you are on the selling end, it is even more important you understand this, even if just to avoid toxic customers.
Conversely, you should pay more than the sticker price when it makes sense. I do much better service for my customers who are more valuable to me, because I don't want to lose them. If you want better service, demand to be treated specially and insist to pay more.